The invention relates to a modularly structured gripping mechanism for robots, machines, and handling devices, which comprises at least one finger module that comprises a slide unit, the slide unit carrying, either directly or by means of other mechanisms, a gripping finger that works counter to a different stationary or movable gripping finger.
WO 2006/034238 A2 depicts a gripping mechanism from the same genre having two gripping fingers that are each guided by a prismatic joint on three rods. The hollow center of the slide is embodied as a pneumatic cylinder, the compressed air traveling inside the piston rod via three axial bores into the cylinder chamber and the two gripping fingers being synchronized by means of racks and pinion. When the gripping fingers are extended outward, this gripping mechanism is very torsionally flexible and is not able to hold heavy loads horizontally if the gripping fingers are long. In addition, it is not possible to build a gripping mechanism with more than two fingers using this principle.
In contrast, the underlying object of the invention is to create a modularly structured gripping system for especially heavy loads such that the greatest loadability is attained with respect to flection and torsion and the highest flexibility is attained in terms of number of fingers, finger arrangement, selection of the drive, and geometric arrangement of the fingers, with a minimum of material expense and unladen weight.
This object is attained in accordance with the invention with the features listed in claim 1.
The subordinate claims depict advantageous refinements of the invention.